Amherst Baseball History

The Amherst College Baseball Program is recognized by players, coaches, fans and professional baseball men as one of the finest and most successful collegiate programs in the Northeast. Since 1966, Amherst teams have won nearly 70% of their games - over 650 victories in all. Since the New England rating poll began in 1980, Amherst has been ranked in the top-three 12 times, and in the top-eight 16 of those 19 seasons. The 1980, '81, '84 and '88 teams were ranked No. 1, and the '82, '95and '99 clubs were ranked second in New England. Since 1970, The Lord Jeffs have won 21 Little Three Titles.

Since 1973 when the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) began sponsoring postseason New England Tournaments, Amherst has been selected a remarkable 19 times, seeded No. 1 nine times, and hosted the tournament ten times. Amherst has emerged as the ECAC Champion five times. In 1993, the Presidents of the NESCAC schools voted to allow team to participate in NCAA postseason championships. Amherst was selected in four of the six years, but in 1995 couldn't participate due to final exam conflicts.

The Amherst Baseball Program and coaching staff are structured and committed to teaching and developing individual skills and techniques so that a player may advance in baseball as far as his desire, potential and ability permit. As with the students' academic endeavors, the goal is excellence, in individual as well as team performance. Over the years, many Amherst players have received All-America and All-New England recognition. While the majority of graduates pursue careers in law, medicine, business, and education, 22 Amherst players have signed professional baseball contracts. Two players, RHP Rich Thompson '80 and LHP John Cerutti '82, were major league pitchers. Fifteen other former Amherst players have been or are currently in the administrative or operational sector of Major League Baseball, including a general manager, club vice president, major league coach, minor league manager and coach, as well as in player development, scouting, marketing and public relations. This record clearly demonstrates the Amherst players' love, interest and respect for the game. Many other former Amherst players have stayed in the game as college and high school coaches.

To maintain a consistently competitive program, the coaching staff is committed to continuously searching for and recruiting top scholar-athletes who seek a rigorous academic education and a top-notch instructional and challenging baseball program. The primary goal of all Amherst student-athletes is to obtain a first-class academic education and Amherst College degree.

* Amherst College won the first intercollegiate baseball game ever played when it defeated Williams College in Pittsfield, Massachusetts by a score of 73-32 in 1859 *